Madonna's Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge Lipstick

Can Madonna's Custom-Made Lip Color Work on Everyone?

Can one shade can work for every skin tone? In the case of Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge #8 ($24), it just might. This fire-engine-red hue was made especially for Madonna's worldwide tour by her makeup artist, Gina Brooke. (It's waterproof, smudge-proof, and crease-proof, too.) Brooke created the color for her star client, but she made sure that this lipstick looks good on any complexion — so we tried it to see if it fit all of ours. Read on to see the results.

Gina Brooke (pictured) has been doing Madonna's makeup for the last 10 years, so she always gets innovative come tour time. "She is so detailed," Brooke says of Madonna. "Working with her — no matter how many years — she critiques me. I like it because she makes me better at what I do."

The Make Up For Ever team admits that this was one of the harder colors to create. Brooke wanted the red shade to contain both blue and orange undertones so any woman could wear it comfortably — including our copy editor Alicia.

Jill (left) applied her Aqua Rouge minutes before this photo, but Marisa's (right) lip is about three hours old. The shade stayed strong after iced coffee, a cookie, and a sandwich.

Brooke mandates that type of staying power, because Madonna has three different makeup changes during the show. "We have to choreograph the movements under the stage," she said. "Most of the changes are under two minutes."

When you're the Material Girl, you can be picky about your makeup. So no matter what look is in style, one thing you will always see on Madonna is an incredible cat eye (her diamond lashes were an exception).

To create Madonna's iconic cat eyeliner, Brooke uses a nylon brush to sweep Aqua Black on her hand. She then applies liner from the inner corners out with a flourish at the end. Brooke also uses a powder puff underneath the eye to catch any excess. Finally, she tops it off with a few coats of Yves Saint Laurent mascara (Madonna prefers nonwaterproof formulas).

Pros: Even though we didn't test every skin tone, it's clear from our set of Sugar models that Aqua Rouge works well for many. Plus, the color lasts through a morning coffee and a lunchtime wrap — we tried it.

Cons: There's a sticky finish without the gloss, but the color remains vivid on your lips.